Method and Apparatus for Recovering Synthetic Oils from Composite Oil Streams

ABSTRACT

A method for recovering synthetic oils from a feed stream, the method comprising separating at least a portion of the non-synthetic oil constituents from a commingled stream to produce a partially purified synthetic oil stream and one or more contaminant streams. Extracting at least a portion of the synthetic oil from the partially purified synthetic oil stream to produce a synthetic oil stream and a second contaminant stream.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/774,027, filed Mar. 7, 2013 and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/774,037, filed Mar. 7, 2013, and is related toU.S. Pat. No. 8,366,912, issued Feb. 5, 2013, which are herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if set forth herein intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the recovery of synthetic oils, andmore specifically to the recovery of synthetic oils from blended,composite or contaminated streams.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Large volumes of synthetic oils are produced world-wide, but aretypically discarded after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for recovering synthetic oils from a feed stream is provided.The method includes separating at least a portion of the non-syntheticoil constituents from a commingled stream to produce a partiallypurified synthetic oil stream and one or more contaminant streams. Atleast a portion of the synthetic oil is separated from the partiallypurified synthetic oil stream to produce a synthetic oil stream and asecond contaminant stream.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to thefollowing drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarilyto scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating theprinciples of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for recovering synthetic oil from awaste oil stream, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of system for separating synthetic oil from a wasteoil stream in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a controller for controlling a synthetic oilextraction process from waste oil in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout thespecification and drawings with the same reference numerals. The drawingfigures might not be to scale and certain components can be shown ingeneralized or schematic form and identified by commercial designationsin the interest of clarity and conciseness.

Synthetic oils such as polyalphaolefins have unique thermal, electrical,lubricating, and chemical stability properties that make them suitablefor a number of diverse uses, such as: a heat transfer medium inchillers, heaters, transformers, and engines; a seal material in vacuumequipment and pumps; a lubricant in turbines, combustion engines,chains, and mechanical equipment; a constituent in greases andmetalworking fluids; and a component of cosmetics, food stuffs andmedical supplies. There are several different means of producing suchsynthetic oils. The type of synthetic oil is generally defined by theprocess or the chemical precursors used to manufacture the syntheticoil. For example, polyalphaolefins can be synthesized by theoligomerization of 1-decene or other alphaolefin monomers, which arecombined to form longer chain molecules. Ester-based synthetic oils canbe made from ester precursors. Other synthetic oils can be manufacturedusing gas to liquid technologies whereby methane molecules are combinedto form longer chain molecules. Additionally, some synthetic oilmolecules can be manufactured by chemical reformation of petroleumstreams, such as isomerization processes. The synthetic oil produced byeach of these processes is consistent in chemical structure and physicalproperties.

Synthetic oils, through blending, usage and/or handling, can becomecontaminated with oxidation and degradation products, water, fuels,solvents, chemicals, petroleum products, fine particulates and the like.Service can also result in changes in the molecular structure of some ofthe synthetic oil molecules, thereby changing the original nature andperformance of these molecules. These contaminants or changed moleculesmay reduce the desired performance of the synthetic stream as a whole,potentially rendering the composite stream unsuitable for its intendeduse. Contaminated synthetic oil is typically removed from pipelines,equipment or storage and considered waste.

The present disclosure concerns the recovery of composite oil streams,contaminated oil streams, blended oil streams, waste industrial fluidstreams or other oil sources that contain synthetic oil. Withadvancements in technology, the amount of synthetic oils produced andused in the United States and around the world has increased to thepoint where such use has become significant. Currently, the vastmajority of the composite, contaminated, blended or waste synthetic oilis combined with industrial fuels and burned as a combustion fuel. Thispractice not only contributes significant pollutants to the environment,but also wastes the energy and resources that were used to generatethese valuable synthetic streams from their precursors. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure recognizes the need to recover and reuse thesesynthetic streams. The disclosed synthetic oil recovery process recoversa high percentage of the available synthetic molecules in thecontaminated, composite, blended or waste oil stream in anenvironmentally friendly, economically viable and commercially soundmanner.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 for recovering synthetic oil from awaste oil stream, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure. A composite stream 102 consisting of at least aportion of synthetic oil line in addition to non-synthetic oil ischarged to a contaminant separation zone 108, where contaminants with amolecular weight of less than 200 or greater than 15,000 or a boilingpoint less than around 500° F. and greater than around 1200° F., line110, is separated from the components that have a molecular weightbetween around 200 to around 15,000 or a boiling point between around500° F. and 1200° F., line 114. The materials recovered through line 110can be low molecular weight materials such as light hydrocarbons, water,glycols, and the like, typically having a boiling range generally belowabout 500° F. and high molecular weight materials and non-volatilesincluding particulates, polymers, heavy petroleum product, salts, andthe like, typically having a boiling point greater than about 1200° F. Aportion of the synthetic oil constituents are recovered through a line114. This stream typically consists of molecules with a molecular weightof around 200 to around 15,000 typically having a boiling point betweenabout 500 to about 1200° F. In a further separation zone 116, a portionof the synthetic oil is separated and recovered through a line 128.

Line 128 is primarily synthetic oil typically consisting of one or moreof polyalphaolefins, esters and other types of synthetic oil molecules.A second stream line 124, which is oil that is low in synthetic oilmolecules, is also produced. This is a relatively generalized showing ofthe process of the present disclosure.

In the first stage, zone 106, some of the physical contaminants areseparated from the synthetic oil. Typically, such contaminants includewater, light hydrocarbons, solvents, solids, polymers, high molecularweight hydrocarbons, chemicals, salts, non-volatiles, and the like.Several processes or combination of processes can be used to effect thisseparation including various forms of extraction, distillation,filtration, centrifugation, absorption and adsorption, and the like, asknown to those skilled in the art. Typically, the separation will takeplace based upon differences in the physical or chemical properties ofthe synthetic oil fraction and the various contaminating materials. Inthe second stage, the partially purified synthetic oil stream, line 114,is then fed to zone 116 of the process where the remaining contaminantsare removed from the synthetic oil. One or more of the followingprocesses can be used to effect separation of the synthetic oil stream128 from the non-synthetic oil components. These processes include oneor more of various forms of solvent extraction, supercriticalextraction, ultrafiltration, absorption, adsorption, molecular sieves,and the like, as known to those skilled in the art. Dehydration of thesolvent used in solvent extraction is performed to reduce absorbed waterto a much smaller percentage of solvent than would normally be used,such as to less than 0.1 percent as compared to 1 to 2 percent. Thisincreased dehydration improves the quality of the synthetic oil stream128, even though the overall process efficiency may be lower thanprocesses that utilize solvent with more dissolved water. The syntheticoil stream can be sold as a product to be used wherever synthetic oilsare typically used or may be further treated to separate the syntheticoil into two or more synthetic oil fractions differing in one or more ofmolecular weight, morphology, chemical composition or physicalproperties.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of system 200 for separating synthetic oil from awaste oil stream in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In Stage 1, a distillation system 228 is shown forseparating materials that have a boiling point less than 500° F., line204, from the composite stream, line 202, thereby producing a partiallypurified synthetic and non-synthetic oil stream. The distillation system228 consists of one or more vessels which may be operated under vacuumor at pressure and can be single or multiple staged as known to thoseskilled in the art. Stream 204 generally consists of one or morecontaminants that have alow boiling point, such as water, lighthydrocarbons, glycols, solvents, and other volatile materials such asmight be found to have been combined with the synthetic molecules. Thelow boiling point contaminants can also contain breakdown products fromthe synthetic oil. In certain rigorous applications, it is possible forthe synthetic molecules to split into two or more smaller molecules. Oneor more of these may be volatile below 50° F. and would end up in stream204. In the instances where the synthetic oil has not split orcontaminated with volatile materials, the flow of stream 204 can beminimal or zero.

The composite stream line 206 consists of the material that generallyhas a boiling point greater than 500° F. This stream discharges from thebottom of distillation system 228 and is optionally heated and chargedinto a second distillation system 230. The second distillation system230 consists of one or more distillation devices such as columns,evaporators, or the like, known to those skilled in the art forfractionating streams based on boil point. The distillation devices canbe operated under vacuum and/or at pressure and can be single ormultiple staged as known to those skilled in the art. In distillationsystem 230, at least a portion of the molecules having a boiling pointbetween 500° F. and 1,200° F. are separated from the balance of thecomposite stream. The compounds having a boiling point less than 500° F.pass from the distillation devices whereon they are condensed andcollected. The compounds with a boiling point generally greater than1200° F. are separated from the compounds with a boiling point between500° F. and 1200° F. by distillation or in other suitable manners andexit the second distillation system through line 210. The compounds thathave a boiling point generally between 500° F. and 1200° F., orpartially purified synthetic oil, exit the second distillation systemthrough line 212 and are passed to the second stage of the process.

The second stage of the process consists of solvent extraction andrecovery. The stream in line 212 is generally passed through a cooler toa solvent treating vessel 232. This solvent treating vessel is shownwith a top and a bottom. A contact section is shown schematically in thecenter portion of the vessel. A solvent storage vessel is shown at 238and supplies solvent to an upper portion of vessel 232 near its top viaa line 226. The solvent moves downwardly, counter-current to thepartially purified synthetic oil stream via a line 212, which isintroduced near the bottom of contact section. Upon contact, the solventdoes not react with the synthetic molecules, however, it does react withthe non-synthetic molecules cleaving to them and causing them to beextracted from the synthetic molecules.

The synthetic oil molecules are recovered with a portion of the solventfrom the top of vessel 232 and passed via a line 216 to first solventseparation vessels 234, which each have a top and a bottom, where thesolvent is separated from the synthetic oil molecules and the syntheticoil is passed via a line 222 to product storage. The use of multiplevessels increases the efficiency of the synthetic oil separationprocess. Contact vessel 232 can have multiple injection points in thevessel or associated columns, to control the solvent concentration inthe vessel or associated columns. Line 222 thus contains purifiedsynthetic oil stream which can be used in a number of applicationswherein synthetic oils are used. Contact vessel 232 can be operated at atemperature range that is close to the stability limit at which thesolvent and oil become completely miscible. In one exemplary embodiment,the temperature range can be controlled to that there are points withincontact vessel 232 where the temperature stability limit is exceeded,and the solvent and oil become completely miscible, but where thetemperature at other points is below the stability limit.

The solvent is recovered through a line 224, and is typically treated toremove water, low boiling point contaminants, and the like throughdehydrator 242 and returned to solvent storage 238. The amount of waterremoved from the solvent is not limited, as is common in knownprocesses, where the water content is used to improve the quality ofnon-synthetic oil. However, with the increasing use of synthetic oil,waste oil typically contains a greater amount of synthetic oil that isof greater value than the non-synthetic oil. As such, even thoughremoval of as much water from the solvent as possible results in adecrease in the efficiency of the process (due to increasing energy andprocessing requirements for the dehydration process), and also resultsin less efficient processing of non-synthetic oil, the use of solventwith small amounts of dissolved water results in an improved quality ofsynthetic oil extraction.

The solvent recovery process can result in the buildup of organic acidsas the solvent is reused. These organic acids can corrode the parts ofsystem 200, and can be removed with chemical treatment system 244, whichcan process the solvent with caustic materials to neutralize the organicacids.

A bottom stream 214 is recovered from vessel 232 and passed to a secondsolvent separation vessels 236, each of which have a top and a bottom.In vessels 236, the solvent is stripped from the extracted primarilynon-synthetic contaminant and passed via a line 218 back to solventstorage 238. The non-synthetic contaminants recovered from the bottom ofvessel 236 are passed via a line 220 to storage. In addition, a line 240from one or more of the first of the second solvent separation vessels236 is provided back to vessel 232. This line is relatively rich insolvent, even though it contains some extracted non-synthetic oilcompounds and other compounds, and can be provided to vessel 232 toimprove the overall process efficiency by reducing the amount of solventthat is processed through dehydrator 242.

In the embodiment described in Stage 1 above, two distillation systemsare used to separate a portion of the contaminants from the syntheticoil fraction. In accordance with the present disclosure, it may bedesirable to use as few as one or as many as five distillation systems,each consisting of one or more vessels to effect this separation.

In the embodiment described above, prior to the first vessel of Stage 1,an optional treatment vessel can be used to chemically treat thecomposite stream prior to entry into distillation system 224 tofacilitate treatment. This chemical treatment can be an alkali or basematerial such as sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide,potassium hydroxide, or an acid such as sulfuric acid, or otherchemicals known to reduce the amount of the composite stream componentsthat cause fouling, to enhance separation and processing, to increaseequipment availability and to enhance the quality of the synthetic oilor other products.

In Stage 1 of the embodiment described above, vessels are used toseparate various constituents from the synthetic oil fraction. Thesevessels can include simple evaporators, thin or wiped film evaporators,columns, packed columns, vessels, tanks, pipes or any suitable vessel orsystem that effects single or multiple stages of separation. Thesevessels may be operated under vacuum or pressure.

In the practice of the present invention, it may be desirable in someinstances for the boiling point of stream 212 to be between about 650and 1200° F. The boiling point range of the material recovered throughline 212 can be modified if desired to produce a synthetic oil producthaving a slightly higher initial boiling point or the like.Additionally, if desired, a distillation column can be used tofractionate the synthetic oil stream 222 into different fractions.

In some instances, it may be preferable to create more than onepartially purified synthetic oil stream from distillation column 230,differing in terms of distillation profile. In this instance, one ormore storage vessels can be used between Stage 1 and Stage 2 and thematerial passed to Stage 2 on a blocked out basis. Thus Stage 2 would beused to purify each of the streams individually. While one firstpartially purified synthetic oil stream is being processed through Stage2, the other stream(s) are accumulated in intermediate storage tanks.When the first stream tank is close to being emptied, Stage 2 can thenbe used to process the content of a second intermediate storage tankcontaining a second partially purified synthetic oil stream.

In the embodiment described above, Stage 2 is used to separate thesimilar molecular weight contaminants from the synthetic oil molecules.In certain instances, it may also be possible to further upgrade thecontaminant stream through further processing such as filtration,chemical treatment, or extraction using a different solvent,hydrogenation or other suitable processes.

In the embodiment shown above, the solvent recovered from the syntheticoil stream 216 and the contaminant stream 214 are consolidated in asolvent storage vessel 238. Either prior to vessel 234 or post vessel238, the solvent can be treated to remove any contaminants such as wateror similar boiling point materials that may have contaminated thesolvent. Such treatments include distillation, extraction, absorption,adsorption, osmosis, chemical treatment or other suitable treatments.

In Stage 1 of the embodiment shown above, distillation system 228typically consists of one or more distillation vessels, which areoperated under vacuum ranging from full vacuum to 500 mmHg andpreferably between 2 and 30 mmHg and at a temperature generally betweenabout 500 and about 750° F.

In the second stage of the embodiment shown above, the extractionprocess used in vessel 232 can include solvent extraction, withmaterials such as ethanol, diacetone-alcohol, ethylene-glycol-mono(lowalkyl) ether, di-ethylene-glycol, diethylene-glycolmono(low alkyl)ether, o-chlorophenol furfural, acetone, formic acid, 4-butyrolacetone,low-alkyl-ester of low mono-and dicarbonic acids, dimethylformamide,2-pyrrolidone and N-(low alkyl)2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrolodone,epi-chlorohydrin, dioxane, morpholine, low-alkyl andamino(low-alkyl)morpholine, benzonitrile and di-(low-alkyl)sulfoxide andphosphonate, or other suitable separation processes.

N-methyl-2-pyrolodone can also be used as a solvent for the process ofthe present disclosure. In this embodiment, extraction is undertaken ata temperature between about 100° F. and about 250° F. and preferablybetween about 130° F. and about 190° F. Typically, both the solvent andpartially purified synthetic oil are fed into the extraction columnwithin this temperature range, although not necessarily at the sametemperature. The solvent dosage (percent of solvent relative to feed)fed to the extraction column is typically between 50% and 1000% byvolume and preferably between 100% and 400%. Typically, extraction isundertaken in a packed or trayed column whereby the solvent is fed intothe top of the column and partially purified synthetic oil is fed intothe bottom. The packed column can contain structured packing, randompacking or other suitable packing. Water may be injected into thesolvent or extraction column as desired to control solvent selectivity.Similarly, temperature gradients or regional heating or cooling can beused at various points along or across the extraction column to affectperformance and selectivity. Recycles of both raffinate and extract atsimilar or different temperatures can also be employed. In someinstances, it may be beneficial to remove a side stream from theextraction column, raffinate or extract streams cool, and separate aportion of the solvent from the oil and return the oil to the column.The solvent may be recovered from the raffinate stream in line and theextract stream in line using distillation. The distillation can beundertaken atmospherically or by using vacuum. Flash separators ormulti-stage columns can be used or combinations thereof can be used inorder to separate the solvent from the synthetic oil or the extractedcontaminants.

In the exemplary embodiment described above, additional processing maybe undertaken on the distillate stream from vessel 228 such as furtherseparating the constituents of this stream (water, glycols, solvents,light hydrocarbons), thereby creating separate products which may beused or further upgraded to higher quality products. In the disclosedembodiment, only one distillate cut is taken from vessel 228.

It may also be suitable in some instances to use a phase transfercatalyst or the like to enhance the operation of the second stage of theprocess whereby the efficiency, selectivity, and other attributes of theprocess are enhanced, thereby providing for better separation of thehigh quality base oil molecules from the lower quality molecules.

By the process of the present disclosure, the synthetic oil stream isseparated from a composite stream wherein the synthetic oil iscontaminated with other non-synthetic oil materials. The combination ofthese steps results in a process that is able to recover synthetic oilswhich heretofore have not been recovered. The recovered synthetic oil isavailable for reuse in many of its originally intended fields ofservice. Hence the present disclosure has the benefits of recovering avaluable product stream and reducing demand for the synthesis of virginstreams from their precursors.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a controller 300 for controlling a synthetic oilextraction process from waste oil in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Controller 300 can be implementedin hardware or a suitable combination of hardware and software, and caninclude one or more software systems operating on a processor.

As used herein, “hardware” can include a combination of discretecomponents, an integrated circuit, an application-specific integratedcircuit, a field programmable gate array, or other suitable hardware. Asused herein, “software” can include one or more objects, agents,threads, lines of code, subroutines, separate software applications, twoor more lines of code or other suitable software structures operating intwo or more software applications, on one or more processors (where aprocessor includes a microcomputer or other suitable controller, memorydevices, input-output devices, displays, data input devices such askeyboards or mice, peripherals such as printers and speakers, associateddrivers, control cards, power sources, network devices, docking stationdevices, or other suitable devices operating under control of softwaresystems in conjunction with the processor or other devices), or othersuitable software structures. In one exemplary embodiment, software caninclude one or more lines of code or other suitable software structuresoperating in a general purpose software application, such as anoperating system, and one or more lines of code or other suitablesoftware structures operating in a specific purpose softwareapplication. As used herein, the term “couple” and its cognate terms,such as “couples” and “coupled,” can include a physical connection (suchas a copper conductor), a virtual connection (such as through randomlyassigned memory locations of a data memory device), a logical connection(such as through logical gates of a semiconducting device), othersuitable connections, or a suitable combination of such connections.

System 300 includes synthetic oil extraction controller 302, whichincludes low temperature distillation monitor 304, high temperaturedistillation monitor 308, solvent treatment monitor 312, syntheticseparator monitor 316, non-synthetic separator monitor 320, dehydratorquality monitor 324, low temperature distillation heater controller 306,high temperature distillation heater controller 310, solvent treatmentheater controller 314, synthetic separator heater controller 318,non-synthetic separator heater controller 322, dehydrator heatercontroller 326, low temperature distillation pump controller 328, hightemperature distillation pump controller 330, solvent treatment pumpcontroller 332, synthetic separator pump controller 334, non-syntheticseparator pump controller 336 and dehydrator pump controller 338, eachof which can be implemented as one or more objects having associatedgraphical and functional characteristics. Consolidation of thesemonitors and controls in a single location, display panel or set ofdisplay panels allows process variables to be readily monitored andcoordinated, unlike separate systems in different locations that have tobe monitored and adjusted over time. Such separate systems can haveprocess variations that are not observed by a single operator, which canresult in lower quality, lower efficiency or other problems. Theseproblems are more pronounced and significant when processing waste oilwith high amounts of synthetic oil compounds, because the quality of thewaste oil and the composite compounds of the waste oil can be highlyvariable, which can make it difficult to adjust process variables overtime.

Low temperature distillation monitor 304 generates one or more lowtemperature distillation metrics, such as temperature, pump speed,pressure, flow rate or other suitable metrics. In one exemplaryembodiment, low temperature distillation monitor 304 can include one ormore user-selectable controls that allow a user to display or hide ametric, to increase the size of a display for a metric, to add anaudible alarm for a metric, or other suitable functions.

High temperature distillation monitor 308 generates one or more hightemperature distillation metrics, such as temperature, pump speed,pressure, flow rate or other suitable metrics. In one exemplaryembodiment, high temperature distillation monitor 308 can include one ormore user-selectable controls that allow a user to display or hide ametric, to increase the size of a display for a metric, to add anaudible alarm for a metric, or other suitable functions.

Solvent treatment monitor 312 generates one or more solvent metrics,such as pump speed, pressure, flow rate or other suitable metrics. Inone exemplary embodiment, solvent treatment monitor 312 can include oneor more user-selectable controls that allow a user to display or hide ametric, to increase the size of a display for a metric, to add anaudible alarm for a metric, or other suitable functions.

Synthetic separator monitor 316 generates one or more syntheticseparator metrics, such as temperature, pump speed, pressure, flow rateor other suitable metrics. In one exemplary embodiment, syntheticseparator monitor 316 can include one or more user-selectable controlsthat allow a user to display or hide a metric, to increase the size of adisplay for a metric, to add an audible alarm for a metric, or othersuitable functions.

Non-synthetic separator monitor 320 generates one or more non-syntheticseparator metrics, such as temperature, pump speed, pressure, flow rateor other suitable metrics. In one exemplary embodiment, non-syntheticseparator monitor 320 can include one or more user-selectable controlsthat allow a user to display or hide a metric, to increase the size of adisplay for a metric, to add an audible alarm for a metric, or othersuitable functions.

Dehydrator quality monitor 324 generates one or more evaporator qualitymetrics, such as temperature, pump speed, pressure, flow rate or othersuitable metrics. In one exemplary embodiment, dehydrator qualitymonitor 324 can include one or more user-selectable controls that allowa user to display or hide a metric, to increase the size of a displayfor a metric, to add an audible alarm for a metric, or other suitablefunctions.

Low temperature distillation heater controller 306 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for low temperature distillation heater andpump 340, such as an increase temperature control, a decreasetemperature control or other suitable controls. In one exemplaryembodiment, low temperature distillation heater controller 306 caninterface with low temperature distillation monitor 304 to perform asuitable function in response to an alarm or setting, such as toincrease a temperature in response to a low temperature alarm orsetting, to decrease a temperature in response to a high temperaturealarm or setting, or to perform other suitable functions.

High temperature distillation heater controller 310 generates one ormore user-selectable controls for high temperature distillation heaterand pump 342, such as an increase temperature control, a decreasetemperature control or other suitable controls. In one exemplaryembodiment, high temperature distillation heater controller 310 caninterface with high temperature distillation monitor 308 to perform asuitable function in response to an alarm or setting, such as toincrease a temperature in response to a low temperature alarm orsetting, to decrease a temperature in response to a high temperaturealarm or setting, or to perform other suitable functions.

Solvent treatment heater controller 314 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for solvent treatment valve and pump 344, suchas an increase temperature control, a decrease temperature control orother suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, solvent treatmentheater controller 314 can interface with solvent treatment monitor 312to perform a suitable function in response to an alarm or setting, suchas to increase a temperature in response to a low temperature alarm orsetting, to decrease a temperature in response to a high temperaturealarm or setting, or to perform other suitable functions.

Synthetic separator heater controller 318 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for synthetic separator heater and pump 346,such as an increase temperature control, a decrease temperature controlor other suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, syntheticseparator heater controller 318 can interface with synthetic separatormonitor 316 to perform a suitable function in response to an alarm orsetting, such as to increase a temperature in response to a lowtemperature alarm or setting, to decrease a temperature in response to ahigh temperature alarm or setting, or to perform other suitablefunctions.

Non-synthetic separator heater controller 322 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for non-synthetic separator heater and pump348, such as an increase temperature control, a decrease temperaturecontrol or other suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment,non-synthetic separator heater controller 322 can interface withnon-synthetic separator monitor 320 to perform a suitable function inresponse to an alarm or setting, such as to increase a temperature inresponse to a low temperature alarm or setting, to decrease atemperature in response to a high temperature alarm or setting, or toperform other suitable functions.

Dehydrator heater controller 326 generates one or more user-selectablecontrols for dehydrator heater and pump 350, such as an increasetemperature control, a decrease temperature control or other suitablecontrols. In one exemplary embodiment, dehydrator heater controller 326can interface with dehydrator quality monitor 324 to perform a suitablefunction in response to an alarm or setting, such as to increase atemperature in response to a low temperature alarm or setting, todecrease a temperature in response to a high temperature alarm orsetting, or to perform other suitable functions.

Low temperature distillation pump controller 328 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for low temperature distillation heater andpump 340, such as an increase pump speed control, a decrease pump speedcontrol or other suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, lowtemperature distillation pump controller 328 can interface with lowtemperature distillation monitor 304 to perform a suitable function inresponse to an alarm or setting, such as to increase a pump speed andchange associated valve settings in response to a low pressure alarm orsetting, to decrease a pump speed and change associated valve settingsin response to a high pressure alarm or setting, or to perform othersuitable functions.

High temperature distillation pump controller 330 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for high temperature distillation heater andpump 342, such as an increase pump speed control, a decrease pump speedcontrol or other suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, hightemperature distillation pump controller 330 can interface with hightemperature distillation monitor 308 to perform a suitable function inresponse to an alarm or setting, such as to increase a pump speed andchange associated valve settings in response to a low pressure alarm orsetting, to decrease a pump speed and change associated valve settingsin response to a high pressure alarm or setting, or to perform othersuitable functions.

Solvent treatment pump controller 332 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for solvent treatment heater and pump 344, suchas an increase pump speed control, a decrease pump speed control orother suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, solvent treatmentpump controller 332 can interface with solvent treatment monitor 312 toperform a suitable function in response to an alarm or setting, such asto increase a pump speed and change associated valve settings inresponse to a low pressure alarm or setting, to decrease a pump speedand change associated valve settings in response to a high pressurealarm or setting, or to perform other suitable functions.

Synthetic separator pump controller 334 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for synthetic separator heater and pump 346,such as an increase pump speed control, a decrease pump speed control orother suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment, syntheticseparator pump controller 334 can interface with synthetic separatormonitor 316 to perform a suitable function in response to an alarm orsetting, such as to increase a pump speed and change associated valvesettings in response to a low pressure alarm or setting, to decrease apump speed and change associated valve settings in response to a highpressure alarm or setting, or to perform other suitable functions.

Non-synthetic separator pump controller 336 generates one or moreuser-selectable controls for non-synthetic separator heater and pump348, such as an increase pump speed control, a decrease pump speedcontrol or other suitable controls. In one exemplary embodiment,non-synthetic separator pump controller 336 can interface withnon-synthetic separator monitor 320 to perform a suitable function inresponse to an alarm or setting, such as to increase a pump speed andchange associated valve settings in response to a low pressure alarm orsetting, to decrease a pump speed and change associated valve settingsin response to a high pressure alarm or setting, or to perform othersuitable functions.

Dehydrator pump controller 338 generates one or more user-selectablecontrols for dehydrator heater and pump 350, such as an increase pumpspeed control, a decrease pump speed control or other suitable controls.In one exemplary embodiment, dehydrator pump controller 338 caninterface with dehydrator quality monitor 324 to perform a suitablefunction in response to an alarm or setting, such as to increase a pumpspeed and change associated valve settings in response to a low pressurealarm or setting, to decrease a pump speed and change associated valvesettings in response to a high pressure alarm or setting, or to performother suitable functions.

Low temperature distillation heater and pump 340 can include one or moreheaters, pumps, valves, chillers, compressors and other associatedcomponents of a low temperature distillation apparatus such asdistillation 228. Although exemplary systems for heater and pump controlare described herein, additional systems for individual or group controlof valves, chillers, compressors or other components can also oralternatively be provided.

High temperature distillation heater and pump 342 can include one ormore heaters, pumps, valves, chillers, compressors and other associatedcomponents of a high temperature distillation apparatus such asdistillation 230. Although exemplary systems for heater and pump controlare described herein, additional systems for individual or group controlof valves, chillers, compressors or other components can also oralternatively be provided.

Solvent treatment heater and pump 344 can include one or more heaters,pumps, valves, chillers, compressors and other associated components ofa solvent treatment apparatus such as 232. Although exemplary systemsfor heater and pump control are described herein, additional systems forindividual or group control of valves, chillers, compressors or othercomponents can also or alternatively be provided.

Synthetic separator heater and pump 346 can include one or more heaters,pumps, valves, chillers, compressors and other associated components ofa synthetic separator apparatus such as separator 234. Althoughexemplary systems for heater and pump control are described herein,additional systems for individual or group control of valves, chillers,compressors or other components can also or alternatively be provided.

Non-synthetic separator heater and pump 348 can include one or moreheaters, pumps, valves, chillers, compressors and other associatedcomponents of a non-synthetic separator apparatus such as separator 236.Although exemplary systems for heater and pump control are describedherein, additional systems for individual or group control of valves,chillers, compressors or other components can also or alternatively beprovided.

Dehydrator heater and pump 350 can include one or more heaters, pumps,valves, chillers, compressors and other associated components of adehydrator apparatus such as dehydrator 242. Although exemplary systemsfor heater and pump control are described herein, additional systems forindividual or group control of valves, chillers, compressors or othercomponents can also or alternatively be provided.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merelyexamples of possible implementations. Many variations and modificationsmay be made to the above-described embodiments without departing fromthe principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be included herein within the scope of thisdisclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for recovering synthetic oils from afeed stream, the method comprising: separating at least a portion of thenon-synthetic oil constituents from a commingled stream producing apartially purified synthetic oil stream and one or more contaminantstreams; and extracting at least a portion of the synthetic oil from thepartially purified synthetic oil stream to produce a synthetic oilstream and a second contaminant stream.
 2. The method according to claim1 wherein the partially purified synthetic oil stream has a molecularweight between 200 and 15,000.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein thepartially purified synthetic oil stream has a boiling point in the samerange as the synthetic oil stream that is being recovered.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1 whereby the partially purified synthetic oil streamis separated from the contaminant stream by at least one ofdistillation, vacuum distillation, evaporation, filtration,ultrafiltration, solvent extraction, extraction, centrifugation,absorption, and adsorption.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein thepartially purified synthetic oil stream is separated from the comingledstream by distillation.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein thenon-synthetic oil constituents are at least partially separated from thecomingled stream by a combination of one or more of atmospheric andvacuum distillation.
 7. The method of claim 3 wherein the synthetic oilstream has a boiling point between about 500 to about 1200° F.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the synthetic oil stream is extracted from thecomingled stream by at least one of filtration, ultrafiltration,molecular sieves, extraction, solvent extraction, absorption, andadsorption.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the synthetic oil stream isseparated from the partially purified synthetic oil stream by solventextraction.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein a solvent used to performthe solvent extraction is one or more of ethanol, diacetone-alcohol,ethylene-glycol-mono(low alkyl) ether, di-ethylene-glycol,diethylene-glycolmono(low alkyl) ether, o-chlorophenol furfural,acetone, formic acid, 4-butyrolacetone, low-alkyl-ester of low mono-anddicarbonic acids, dimethylformamide, 2-pyrrolidone and N-(lowalkyl)2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrolodone, epi-chlorohydrin, dioxane,morpholine, low-alkyl-and amino(low-alkyl)morpholine, benzonitrile anddi-(low-alkyl)sulfoxide and phosphonate.
 11. The method of claim 8wherein the solvent is N-methyl-2-pyrolodone.
 12. The method of claim 1wherein the synthetic oil stream consists of oils that were made throughone or more of chemical synthesis, gas to liquid technologies,hydroisomerization or chemical modification of petroleum compounds. 13.The method according to claim 1 wherein the synthetic oils consistprimarily of hydrogen and carbon having a molecules weight between 200and 15,000.
 14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the syntheticoil stream consists of one or more of polyalphaolefins, esters,diesters, polyolesters, alklylated napthlenes, alkyklated benzenes,neopoly esters, paraffins, among others.
 15. The method according toclaim 1 wherein the second contaminant stream consists of one or more ofcompounds considered to be polars, aromatics, unsaturates or olefins.16. A system for recovering synthetic oil from a feed stream comprising:a first stage comprising a plurality of distillation systems, eachdistillation system configured to remove compounds having apredetermined boiling point or molecular weight from a commingled streamto generate an intermediate stream; a solvent extraction stagecomprising a solvent extraction system configured to receive theintermediate stream and to extract one or more synthetic oil compoundsfrom the intermediate stream using a solvent; and a dehydrator stagecoupled to the solvent extraction stage, the dehydrator stage configuredto generate solvent having less than one percent dissolved water for usein the solvent extraction system.
 17. The system of claim 16 furthercomprising a non-synthetic oil separator coupled to the solventextraction stage by a feed line and comprising at least one return linecoupled to the solvent extraction stage and configured to provide a mixof solvent and non-synthetic oil directly to the solvent extractionstage.
 18. A controller coupled to the first stage and the solventextraction stage of claim 16 comprising: one or more user selectablecontrols for modifying a monitor for the first stage; one or more userselectable controls for modifying a monitor for the solvent extractionstage; one or more user-selectable controls for controlling the firststage; one or more user-selectable controls for controlling the solventextraction stage; and wherein each of the user-selectable controls aredisplayed on a single display board.
 19. The controller of claim 18further comprising: one or more user-selectable controls for modifying amonitor for the dehydrator stage; and one or more user-selectablecontrols for controlling the dehydrator stage.
 20. The controller ofclaim 19 wherein the one or more user-selectable controls forcontrolling the dehydrator stage comprise: a pump controller forcontrolling a speed of a dehydrator stage pump; and a heater controllerfor controlling a temperature of a dehydrator stage heater.